


Demons Run...

by Shadowdoom10



Series: Gravity Falls Assistant AU [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: But I'm not sure, I don't think there's anything major to tag, I'm sure there are other tags here but I can't think of them, Maybe a warning of hostage situation?, let me know if I'm missing tags, or if the rating is too low, s2e17 "Dipper and Mabel vs the Future"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 05:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14585958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowdoom10/pseuds/Shadowdoom10
Summary: ... Or, the best way that I could think of to avoid Weirdmageddon without it getting too complicated.(The only thing I own about this story is the time spent writing it and the horrible things I made happen, everything else is owned by Disney)





	Demons Run...

**Author's Note:**

> This is the official "start" of the AU, the point where canon takes a backseat while also giving me driving tips and making sure I don't accidentally drive us all off of some kind of cliff. This is also going to be a decent estimation of the tone of this AU, so if you feel like this story isn't to your taste I would recommend you skip the rest of them because while this isn't the lightest things are going to be, the bottom of this pit is probably still a ways below us yet. This takes place at the end of "Dipper and Mabel vs the Future", and I actually used the episode transcript for some of the beginning of this.
> 
> reseac :rephic s'yadoT

"Mabel, I just had the best day of my life! UFO's are real and there's one underneath the town and I saved Grunkle Ford's life and- and-" Dipper stopped cold as his brain caught up to his eyes and he actually saw the room. More specifically, as he saw Mabel laying curled up on her bed, unmoving. "Hey, are you okay?"

Mabel rolled over, her eyes wet with tears and her voice leaden with sadness. "Tell me it isn't true, Dipper. Tell me you were joking." Dipper didn't get a chance to reply or ask any questions as Mabel revealed her walkie-talkie, crackling with static. He turned sharply to the matching one in his backpack as a static tone emanated from it as well. Realization struck him like a truck, she'd heard everything. This was _not_ how he'd hoped to have this conversation. He opened his mouth again, but the words wouldn't come out. "Ford's apprentice, really?" Tears threatened to spill forth once more and Dipper knew he'd have to act quickly to salvage this situation because the _last_ thing he wanted was to be the reason Mabel cried tonight. So, he did what he does best and tried to apply logic to the situation.

"Look, Mabel, I was thinking and... this is a huge opportunity for me," He began, and he wanted to continue, but the sight of the wet tears winding their way down her cheeks sealed the words deep within his throat.

"Well it's a horrible opportunity _for me!_ " She wailed, scattering the thoughts he planned to say next. "I had the worst day of my life! When we turn thirteen, the summer ends, and I have to leave everything behind. You're the only person I can count on and now _you're_ leaving me _too_!?" The sobs that wracked her body only made her accusations hurt worse, and Dipper felt matching tears begin to well up behind his eyes too, but he forced them back. He had to be strong, for both of them. And so he pressed on with his explanation.

"Look, I've been thinking about it. I won't be gone forever, okay? I'll still visit you at home, and we'll chat online; we'll make it work," He said, hoping to get his point across that this wouldn't be the end of the world. _'It can't be the end of the world, I won't_ let _it be.'_

"I don't want it to work. I just wish summer could last forever," She said solemnly as she flipped through her _Summer Memories_ scrapbook. Dipper sighed and knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But it can't, Mabel. Look, things aren't gonna stay frozen this way. It's part of growing up. Things change. Summer ends." Mabel's eyes filled with hurt and betrayal, and Dipper realized his mistake too late as she ran out of the room, taking her backpack with her. "Mabel, wait! I didn't mean it like that! Mabel, come back!" But it was too late, Mabel had ran off, and as much as Dipper wanted to follow her, he knew that sealing the Rift had to come first.

***

Tree branches whipped across Mabel's face and fallen leaves crunched beneath her feet as she ran as fast as she could away from the Mystery Shack and the recent stinging betrayal within. By the time she stopped running and seated herself underneath- ironically enough- a pine tree, she only had a vague sense of where she was, and the tears were flowing freely. "Only party chocolate can cheer me up now," She said as she dug through her pack in search of the sugary treats she ~~desired~~ needed. "Fliers, no; glitter bombs, I already made that mistake this summer; party hats, really? Where's my party chocolate? Ugh, not fair. The _one_ party thing I don't have is the one that I need. I just wish summer could last forever." Lacking the chocolate she sought, and unwilling to walk back to the Shack- and risk fighting with Dipper again- just to obtain some, Mabel settled for pulling her sweater up and over her head to cry in peace.

"That might be possible," A familiar voice called from the underbrush.

"Sweatertown is _not_ accepting incoming calls right now," Mabel mumbled sadly, the earlier words not really registering in her distraught state.

"M-M-M-Mabel, it's me," The familiar voice called again, and this time the odd familiarity of it was enough for Mabel to exit sweatertown.

"What? Who said that?" She asked, ready to flee at a moments' notice if the voice belonged to something dangerous. From the underbrush came a very familiar head atop several shifting backgrounds.

"I-I-I can help." The man finally managed to work his camouflaged Time-Suit the way he wanted to, leaving it the naturally light gray it normally was.

"The time travel guy? What are you doing here?" Mabel asked, wracking her brain for his name. Blarnden something, right? No, wait, it was Blendin!

"You said you don't want summer to end, right? D-did-did I hear that right?" His voice was shakey, and he sure was stammering a lot, wasn't he? Did he always stammer this much? Wait, he asked a question, about her wish to for a never-ending summer!

"Yeah... why are you asking?" She questioned, suspicion obvious in her voice.

Blendin suddenly broke out into a nervous sweat, as though he was doing something... immoral. "Look, maybe it's against the rules, but you once did a favor for me, so I thought I could help you out. It's called a Time-Bubble, and it prevents time from going forward. Summer in Gravity Falls can last as long as you want it to!" He managed to say, and all traces of suspicion was erased from Mabel's mind.

"R-Really? But how does it work?" She asked, wiping away the last of her tears with her sleeve.

An image appeared above his wrist of a sparkly snow-globe-like thing, "It should be in your great uncle's lab, but don't worry, it's something small. I'm sure he won't even notice if it's missing. Good luck, Shooting Star." Mabel's eyes widened at the sound of Bill's nickname for her.

"Why did you call me Shooting Star, you know what my name is." Her voice wavered, the suspicion having returned in full. Blendin froze before slowly looking down at the girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could react Mabel reached into her sweater, grabbed her grappling hook, and shot it at his face. The hook struck his Time-Goggles, shattering them and revealing yellow slited eyes beneath. "Bill-Blendin, Billendin!" She shouted. Billendin smirked down at her.

"Oops, well, that's a shame. T̷I̸M̵E̴ ̶F̶O̷R̷ ̸P̵L̴A̸N̴ ̶B̵ ̶T̸H̴E̷N̸!" He shrieked. Mabel screamed, throwing the rest of the grappling hook at him before running back to the Shack, all the while praying that someone would be able to help her.

***

"Let me guess: Mabel didn't take it well?" Great Uncle- _Grunkle_ \- Ford asked upon seeing Dipper's forlorn face as he exited the elevator.

"I don't know, maybe I'm making the wrong decision. I need to think about this," Dipper mumbled softly, more to himself than to anyone else.

Grunkle Ford frowned slightly at the words, but held out a hand regardless. "Dipper, right now we need to focus on the mission. Now come on, I've got the glue; hand me the Rift and let's make history."

"Right!" Dipper quickly replied, bringing out the Inter-dimensional Rift Containment Bubble from his backpack- its glowing nebula of stars casting odd shadows on Dipper's face as he handed it to his Grunkle. "What now?" He asked.

"Now I just set the Rift in here-" Grunkle Ford said as he placed the Rift inside a clamp-type machine, which then locked into place, "-and use these gloves to carefully apply the adhesive." He paused and looked at Dipper, who stared back expectantly. "Actually, I think _you_ should be the one to apply the glue, you did save me after all. Think of it as your first act as my apprentice," He said, handing Dipper the gloves.

"You really think I should?" Dipper asked hesitantly.

"There's not a doubt in my mind, Dipper. Or should I say, apprentice?" Dipper managed a small smile as he put on the gloves- which were a bit big on him considering they were made for someone with six fingers- and stepped up to the Rift. "I'll be right here if you require assistance, but I have a feeling you'll do fine on your own," Ford said as he turned his eyes to a nearby stack of books. However, not a minute went by before the two heard shouting through the hole in the ceiling.

"Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, Dipper, help! It's Bill he-!" The panicked shouts were cut off, but Dipper and Grunkle Ford were already moving.

"Dipper, stay here, I'll go with Stanley and help Mabel, you need to make sure the Rift gets sealed!" He shouted as he ran to the elevator, grabbing the large rifle-like weapon on the way. Dipper opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when he realized that Grunkle Ford gave him the more important job in the long run. He turned back to the Rift, determined to seal it for good.

***

 _'This is bad, this is bad, this is really_ really _bad! And it's all my fault!'_ Mabel's mind wailed as she thrashed in Billendin's grip, but he was strong, stronger than she would've imagined considering his line of work. Maybe Bill's possession was making him stronger?

"Calm down, Shooting Star, I won't hurt you, much," Her captor whispered, gripping her tighter and making her shout in pain. She could feel the cold metal of a Time-Pistol press up against her head, and she let out a nervous whimper. Then, much louder, he shouted, "SIXER, I HAVE YOUR NIECE, A GUN, AND A VERY ANXIOUS HOST WITH ME. IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME THE RIFT, SOMETHING _UNFORTUNATE_ MIGHT HAPPEN TO HER."

She could see her Grunkles moving around inside the Shack, and Mabel desperately hoped that they had a plan to get out of this. She could tell Billendin was getting impatient.

"HURRY SIXER, I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY. WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU, THE RIFT, OR SHOOTING STAR'S LIFE? YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO DECIDE!  
TEN...  
NINE...  
EIGHT...  
SEVEN...  
SIX...  
FIVE...  
FOUR...  
THREE...  
TWO...  
ONE..." Mabel gasped and shut her eyes.

"Wait!" Grunkle Stan shouted, holding the Rift out so Billendin could see it.

"What are you doing Stanley, how did you get the Rift without me knowing?" She heard Grunkle Ford stage-whisper to his brother.

"You gotta trust me," Grunkle Stan stage-whispered back. He turned his attention back to Billendin. "Let's talk about this." He stepped out of the doorway and onto the porch, making sure that he stayed within the sphere of the protective spell. After a moment, Ford walked out as well, glaring at Bill's host the whole time.

"SEE, THIS IS HOW YOU CONVERSE LIKE GENTLEMEN! BY THE WAY, FEZ, I _LOVE_ THE WAY ANGER AND BARELY RESTRAINED FURY LOOKS ON YOU, YOU SHOULD WEAR IT MORE OFTEN!" Billendin said, his words very out of place considering the tension of the situation. "AND SIXER, HOW'RE YOU DOING? I NOTICED YOU PUT A PROTECTIVE BARRIER AROUND YOUR LITTLE SHACK, I'M IMPRESSED THAT YOU MANAGED TO DO IT, CONSIDERING THAT THE ONLY OTHER MAGIC YOU'VE MANAGED WAS TO SUMMON ME," He continued.

"Enough of this, release Mabel at once, or face Quantum Destabilization you demon!" Grunkle Ford shouted as he whipped out the large weapon on his back and glared at the demon-possessed body. Mabel gasped and shut her eyes again, but Billendin just laughed.

"REALLY SIXER, REALLY? YOU THINK THAT THING SCARES ME?" He mocked. Mabel managed to peek one eye open, seeing that Grunkle Ford hadn't fired yet.

"It should. If I destroy your host with you still in it, I'm pretty sure you're Overmind will collapse as well, am I right?" Ford said matter-o-factly. Mabel didn't have a clue what those words meant, but it was obvious that Billendin did when he tensed ever-so-slightly in response to the threat. Then he laughed again.

"YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT, BUT _I_ KNOW IT TAKES FIVE SECONDS FOR THAT THING TO CHARGE UP, AND THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO DITCH THIS MEATSUIT PUPPET AND ESCAPE BACK TO THE MINDSCAPE! PLUS, I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T RISK SHOOTING STAR, SO AS LONG AS I HAVE HER, I'M SAFE." Mabel fought back another wave of despair at the knowledge that she was getting in the way _again_ as Grunkle Ford lowered the weapon. Then, she had an idea. All she had to do was let her Grunkles know without alerting Bill, which would be easier said than done.

"NOW, I'M GOING TO SPELL THIS OUT REAL SIMPLE LIKE, OKAY." Billendin's smile showed far too many teeth to be natural, and Grunkle Stan took a small step back. " FEZ- OR SHOULD I CALL YOU STANLEY-, SINCE YOU'RE THE ONE ACTUALLY HOLDING THE RIFT, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD OFFER THIS TO YOU. IF YOU DROP THAT RIFT, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, I'LL NOT ONLY LET SHOOTING STAR GO, BUT I'LL SPARE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY DURING THE APOCALYPSE. I MIGHT EVEN GIVE YOU GUYS A SPOT IN MY GROUP OF ODDBALLS AND LUNATICS, I'M SURE YOU'D FIT RIGHT IN!" Bill paused for dramatic effect, and his smile grew predatory. "OR, ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU COULD REFUSE, AND THEN I'LL HAVE TO SPLATTER SHOOTING STAR ACROSS YOUR LAWN. THEN, OF COURSE, I'LL GET THE RIFT _ANYWAY_ , AND ONCE THE UNIVERSE IS IN MY GRASP I'LL RIP YOU AND YOUR PRECIOUS FAMILY APART ATOM BY ATOM, ONLY TO RESURRECT YOU AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN AND _AGAIN_ AND _**AGAIN**_ AND _**A̶̲̋̌̏͝G̷̳͚̺̓̍͋̆̿̕A̶̓͒̄͜I̷͉̽̈́̔͝Ň̸͕́͊̇̅̕**_ UNTIL YOU'VE ALL STOPPED SCREAMING AND BEGGING FOR THE COLD RELEASE OF OBLIVION AND DECIDED TO BECOME MY WILLING AGENTS OF CHAOS, DEATH, AND DESTRUCTION!" Mabel felt a cold slice of fear run down her spin at how calmly the words were spoken. It wasn't even a threat the way he said it, it was just a fact of life. _Refuse me, and you'll suffer pain on a scale you can't even begin to imagine, and then you'll help me spread that same pain to countless others._ But, at the same time, she saw her chance.

"No, don't do it! This is my mistake, I should accept the consequences of them!" Mabel shouted, writhing so much that she almost escaped, and Billendin snarled as he shifted her again so his hand was covering her mouth and muffling her shouts of martyrdom. This allowed Mabel to reach into her sweater again, and show her Grunkles the glitter-bomb she managed to grab from her backpack when she escaped Billendin the first time.

"I'M AN UNDERSTANDING GUY, THOUGH, SO I'LL GIVE YOU ABOUT A MINUTE FOR YOU TO MAKE THE _SMART_ CHOICE FOR ONCE IN YOUR TINY HUMAN LIFE. AFTER THAT, WELL, LET'S JUST SAY THE GRASS WILL BE A BIT REDDER ON _THIS_ SIDE OF THE FENCE." He pressed the Time-Pistol into her head again for emphasis and stared at the Rift, as though willing it into his possession. He was so focused on the Rift in fact, that he didn't notice Gompers lining up for a charge until it was already happening.

Gompers slammed into Billendin, knocking the Time-Pistol out of his hand and onto the ground. Mabel took the opportunity to bite into the hand pinning her against her captor as hard as she could, and Billendin released her with a scream of pain.

"Eat glitter-bomb you yellow-eyed freak!" Mabel screamed as she launched said bomb into Billendin's face and- since his Time-Goggles had already been shattered by her grappling hook- blinded him with glitter.

"AH, MY EYES, THEY'RE COVERED IN SPARKLES AND OTHER DESCRIPTORS THAT WOULD NORMALLY DESCRIBE THINGS THAT ARE ALSO SHINY, IT BURNS!" He quickly covered his eyes and Mabel used the distraction to dive out of the way with Gompers in hand. At the same time, Grunkle Ford whipped his weapon back up and began charging it. Mabel could hear a high-pitched whine emanating from the light-bulb on the front of the gun, and if she could hear it then so could Bill.

For a moment, Billendin seemed to fall limp as if he was dead, but he woke again just as quickly with a gasping growl of anger that  _had_ to be Bill's and pawed for the Time-Tape. He managed to yank it out just as Grunkle Ford's weapon fired, and then Mabel had to turn her head to avoid the sudden blinding flash which was coupled with a drastic change in pressure that caused her to wince when her ears *popped*. When the light dimmed and she turned her head back, all she saw of where Blendin Blandin once stood was a small smoking crater. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought that it was once a living person.

Then she was grabbed into a crushing hug by her Grunkle Stan, and she barely had time to reach for the fallen Rift before it shattered, spilling water and glitter on the ground, a harmless fake. "Mabel, sweety, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He stopped when he felt his charge begin sobbing into his shoulder, and changed from worried to calming in an instant. "Shh, it's okay, he can't hurt you again. Everything's okay, the bad man is gone," He sent a pointed look towards Ford, who quickly nodded in agreement, "He won't be able to hurt you again." He continued to soothe her as he walked to the porch and sat down. She soon felt the presence of Grunkle Ford as well, and for once the two brothers didn't bother bickering.

Moments later, Mabel heard rapid footsteps and looked up to see her brother rushing through the Gift Shop to the yard with what was probably the _real_ Rift. "Is everything okay I heard an explosion and my ears just popped and I came as fast as I could and-" He tripped over one of the many item racks scattered around and fell, dropping the Rift as he did. This time, both Mabel _and_ Grunkle Ford shouting in panic as it struck the ground, but it didn't shatter. It didn't even move. "Shoot, that wasn't supposed to happen." Dipper reached down to pick up the Rift, and frowned when it didn't budge. "Uh, a little help here? I think it's stuck to the floor," He mumbled. Mabel, who had stopped sniffling, quickly slipped out of Grunkle Stan's hold and walked over to the Rift like everyone else.

It was Grunkle Ford who eventually reached down and pulled with all his strength, but he couldn't even manage to cause the Rift to shift. "Huh, I suspect that the extraterrestrial adhesive wasn't quite done bonding with the containment bubble when you dropped it, and now it's also managed to bond with the floor. I doubt we'll be able to unfuse it without risking it breaking or cutting out a portion of the floor itself, so I guess we'll just have to leave it be for the time being," He said with a calm that Mabel wished she had herself. Dipper frowned, obviously upset, and Grunkle Ford gave him a soft smile. "Dipper, if you're worried that I'm mad, don't be. We all make mistakes, and if anyone here should know about forgiving mistakes, it should be me," He said with an air of finality. Dipper managed a smile of his own.

"This is perfect!" Grunkle Stan's shout startled everyone out of their reprieve. "This would be a great attraction! I'll call it, the 'Infinity Globe' and let tourists take turns trying to lift it from the ground, and take pictures of it!" Grunkle Stan's enthusiasm reminded Mabel of something.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan, what was it that you had when you were dealing with Bill, if it wasn't the actual thing he was after?" Both Grunkles shared a pleased look before Grunkle Stan turned back to her.

"It was just a regular snow-globe that Sixer-" Mabel frowned when Grunkle Ford flinched at the name, but Grunkle Stan didn't notice, "-here covered in a hologram to make it look like the... ah, whatever it was that he was after," Stan said.

"Inter-dimensional Rift, Stanley. And I'm not entirely sure how comfortable I am with having random people come in here and try and lift an Inter-dimensional Rift that's been sealed into the floor, no matter how solid that adhesive was," Grunkle Ford corrected, and Grunkle Stan visibly deflated at his words.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," He said cryptically and with a hint of sorrow in his voice. Dipper and Mabel shared a look of their own, but before either of them got the chance to say anything, Grunkle Stan began shuffling them off to bed, citing the fact that they needed to get their sleep in preparation for the coming school year.

That reminder, in turn, turned the two from any questions they may have had and turned their minds towards the future instead.

***

Dipper and Mabel walked upstairs slowly, and for perhaps the first time this summer, the twins didn't speak at all as they got ready for bed. Dipper finished first, as usual, and decided to spend the few minutes he'd have to himself finishing his first read-though of Grunkle Ford's second Journal while he waited for Mabel. Instead, he simply ruminated to himself, questioning his motivations and goals while the Journal was left open in his lap. By the time Mabel slowly opened the door again, Dipper felt that he knew what he wanted to say.

***

Stanley Pines, in turn, walked back outside to sit on the couch and watch the forest in case some other creatures decide to try a hand at attacking his family that night. Stanford watched him walk out with a frown on his face, several thoughts running through his mind. Most importantly though, was how his brother had reacted after Bill was defeated (and he promised he would worry about the finality of that after the summer ended), how his first reaction was to go to Mabel. How his own reaction was to see how charred the ground in the crater was.

"Grunkle Ford," A soft voice called. He turned towards the stairway to see Mabel leaning out, a frown on her face. "I'm not sure what's going on with you and Grunkle Stan, but I do know that Gravity Falls wouldn't be the same without you, _both_ of you." And with that, she padded her way back upstairs, leaving Stanford Pines to contemplate what it meant to be a family.

And then, when he thought he had a half-way decent idea of that, he walked outside to speak with his brother.

**Author's Note:**

> A few last notes: Any caeser ciphers in these stories will be solved using the normal method (and if any of them fail let me know so I can fix them); caeser ciphers aren't the only ciphers I'll use, but I'll do my best to let you know what to do; I ask you please not to post completed ciphers in the comments because I feel like that ruins the fun (and I promise that none of the ciphers will contain information that's required for any story, at most it'll be a brief glimpse ahead like the show); and as you might've been able to tell, this takes place mere moments before the next issue of this tale (although Soos's conversation happens at an unspecified later date before summer's end).
> 
> Also, let me know if you're actually interested in some behind-the-scenes about these stories too (like what I did for "Forgiveness and Futures") because I'd be happy to give glimpses of how these stories ended up the way they did.
> 
> Today's cipher:  
> Srru Eohqglq, wudsshg lq wkh Plqgvfdsh doo dorqh, dqg xqdeoh wr lqwhudfw zlwk dqbwklqj dw doo. Pdbeh li kh'v oxfnb kh'oo ilqg d zdb krph, exw- olnh wkh srru pdq klpvhoi- L'p diudlg wkdw'v qhlwkhu khuh qru wkhuh.


End file.
